Question 68 of 100 · 2008 civics test
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
If you filed your N-400 before October 20, 2025, this question is on your list: the 2008 test, 100 questions.
Accepted answers
- U.S. diplomat
- oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
- first Postmaster General of the United States
- writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
- started the first free libraries
Every answer listed is correct, and the question tells you how many to give.
Why this is the answer
Five answers are accepted: U.S. diplomat, oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, first Postmaster General of the United States, writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac," and started the first free libraries. You need only one, and "diplomat" is the shortest. USCIS counts Franklin among the most influential of the Founding Fathers, and he earned all five over a long and busy life as a printer, author, politician, diplomat and inventor. He trained as a printer and was an accomplished one by his mid-twenties, then began writing books and papers. Poor Richard's Almanac became his most famous publication. He organized America's first library, whose members lent books to one another. He was active in colonial politics, and in 1775 the Second Continental Congress made him the first postmaster general. The Constitution would later list the power to establish post offices among the powers of Congress. His diplomacy may have mattered most. A diplomat travels to other countries to represent the United States, and Franklin went to England and France many times in that role. The fighting stopped after the British Army surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, and Franklin helped negotiate the 1783 treaty in which Great Britain agreed that the United States had won the war and was an independent nation. He also sat in the Constitutional Convention as its oldest delegate and signed the Constitution. In the interview, use the list's words rather than a description of the man. Franklin was an inventor, so "he invented things" is a natural reply, but inventor is not one of the five answers on the 2008 list and may not be accepted. The same goes for "he was a Founding Father": true, and still not on the list. Choose one item and say it cleanly. "First Postmaster General" or "oldest member of the Convention" leaves no room for doubt.
Sources
- Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test (2008 version) · M-638 (rev. 08/21)
- Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test (2008 version) (rev. 01/19)
- One Nation, One People: The USCIS 2025 Civics Test Study Guide · M-1175 (2025)
- The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription · National Archives